Tennis
On The Clay
By: Teddy Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With the French Open looming on the horizon tennis eyes are focusing on the red-clay courts of Roland Garros.
The very first French Open was held in 1891, but was aptly called the French Championships, since only men who were citizens of France were allowed to compete. The champion is listed as H. Briggs.
The French Championships didn’t include women until 1897. Four Frenchwomen competed, with Adine Masson winning the title. Masson went on to win a total of five French Championships.
In 1925, the tournament became international and was designated a Grand Slam event. Rene Lacoste of France won the men’s title, defeating fellow countryman Jean Borotra. Frenchwoman Susanne Lenglen defeated Britain’s Kathleen McKane to win the ladies’ title.
In 1928, a new tennis complex was built in Paris, and the president of the complex insisted that it be named Roland Garros Stadium, after a World War I hero, even though Garros never played professional tennis.
So—who was Roland Garros? Garros was an ‘ace’ French fighter pilot that came up with safer propeller blades that allowed for forward firing of machine guns.
There is some discrepancy as to how many enemy planes he actually shot down, but five downed planes would have classified him as an ‘ace.’ (Aerial warfare was something new. Remember, WWI started barely a decade after the Wright brothers and Kitty Hawk.)
In 1915, Garros’ plane developed engine trouble during an airfight, and he made an emergency landing in German territory.
He was quickly captured and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. When he escaped some three years later, the war was winding down, but he resumed his role as a fighter pilot.
Unfortunately, a month before the war ended, Garros was killed when his plane was shot down. He was twenty-nine.
Enough about Roland Garros, the fighter pilot. Let’s talk about Roland Garros, home of the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament.
The winningest player ever at Roland Garros is Rafael Nadal. Fourteen (the all-time record) of Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles have come at Roland Garros. Despite some recent injuries, the Spaniard is expected to go for number fifteen.
Bjorn Borg of Sweden won the French six times. Novak Djokovic, the GOAT with 24 Grand Slam championships, has only won three titles at Roland Garros (including 2023).
Switzerland’s Roger Federer, with 20 Slam titles, had only one championship at the French Open.
On the women’s side, American Chris Evert has the most French Open titles with seven, the first one in 1974, the last one in 1986.
German Steffi Graf won the title six times, as did Suzanne Lenglen, but only two of Lenglen’s wins came after the tournament became international. Serena Williams, arguably the greatest woman tennis player of all time with 23 Grand Slam titles, won the French only three times.
The first American woman to win the French Open was Helen Wills Moody in 1928, her first of four. The first American man was Don Budge in 1938. He actually won all four Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) that year, but 1938 was his only French Open victory.
Prize money for 2024 will be the highest ever, with both the men’s and ladies’ champion earning $2,567,051. Runners-up will receive $1,283,525. First-round losers will get $78,081. All prize money will be paid in Euros, of course.
The French Open begins Sunday, May 26th, and culminates with the Ladies’ Championship on Saturday, June 8th , and the Men’s Championship on Sunday, June 9th.
On to Roland Garros!
The Grass Cutters
By: Teddy Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wimbledon! The oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament on the planet!
Since 1877, the All England Club in London has hosted The Championships, Wimbledon, all of them have been on grass.
Since 2003, either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic has taken home the gentlemen’s trophy with only four exceptions. Rafael Nadal won in 2008 and 2010; Andy Murray in ’13 and ’16.
Federer, the #2 seed, has conquered these fabled grass courts eight times, more than any other man. Federer has also won 20 Grand Slam titles, also more than any other man.
Roger could face Kei Nishikori or John Isner before a potential semi-final matchup against Nadal. A final for Federer would probably match him against Djokovic.
Federer will be 38 in August but is coming off a tenth grass court championship at the Halle Open two weeks ago. Roger Federer last hoisted the Wimbledon trophy in 2017.
Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and the #1 seed, will be vying for his fifth title at the All England Club. Djokovic has 15 Grand Slam titles and hopes to eventually become the all-time slamholder.
Novak, age 32, may have the toughest draw of the top four seeds, including an interesting first round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat Djokovic at Indian Wells in March.
Djokovic could also play Stefanos Tsitsipas, the #7 seed, in a quarter-final. Djokovic is slated to play against Kevin Anderson in the semis and either Federer or Nadal in the final.
Rafael Nadal, age 33, is seeded third and has some interesting matches if he makes it to the final. Rafa could play Nick Kyrgious in the second round and Marin Cilic in the fourth.
Barring upsets, Nadal would have a quarter-final match against Dominic Thiem before meeting Federer in the semis.
His 18 Slam titles has him only two behind Federer with a strong possibility of eventually surpassing him.
Kevin Anderson is the #4 seed even though he is ranked eighth in the world. Anderson lost to Djokovic in the final last year and would have to get through Alexander Zverev (#6) in order to meet Novak in the semis.
On the ladies’ side, Ash Barty is the #1 seed while Naomi Osaka is #2, Karolina Pliskova #3, and Kiki Bertens #4. Angie Kerber, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, and Elina Svitolina are #s 5-8, respectively.
Barty won the French Open and followed it up with a win at Birmingham (England, not Alabama). Barty could very well win the ladies’ title but has very tough draw.
Osaka won last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open but has faltered in recent tournaments.
Pliskova, Kerber, and Halep are all former #1 players, and Kerber is the defending champion. If Kerber can get past Serena Williams in the 4th round, she will probably sail into the final.
Kvitova won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. Bertens and Svitolina have had good 2019 seasons and could make strong runs at Wimbledon.
Serena, age 37, has won Wimbledon seven times and is hoping to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Serena is seeded 11th and is always a threat to win any tournament she enters but hasn’t quite regained her pre-baby success.
Venus Williams has won Wimbledon five times, but the last one was 2008. Venus, 39, plays 15-year-old Cori Gauff in the first round.
The gentlemen’s champion and the ladies’ champion will earn almost $3 million each.
The runners-up will get almost $1.5 million each. Even first round losers will receive about $57,000. The ladies champion will receive the Venus Rosewater Dish rather than a trophy.
The champions? Novak Djokovic and Angie Kerber.
Ahh, Wimbledon!
